Epson showcased the SureColor F2200 direct-to-garment printer, a significant upgrade to its SureColor F2100 large format printer, at FESPA Munich this week.
Tailored for medium volume printing, the DTG printer, which is referred to in Australia as the SureColor F2260, helps users create stunning personalised items.
A range of these applications are on display at the Epson stand at the tradeshow, where the company is demonstrating the full scope and flexibility of this printing technology.
Epson said all demonstrations on its stand at FESPA are designed to show how its printing technology can create beautiful products with healthy revenue streams.
Epson said the new SureColor F2260 is ideal for start-up companies or medium-volume businesses that need high levels of flexibility and accuracy with fast turnaround times.
Designed to produce complex designs on a variety of garments, it uses Epson’s advanced PrecisionCore MicroTFP printhead technology to provide faster printing and data processing speeds, resulting in a productivity increase of up to 25 per cent over the SureColor F2100, while maintaining extremely high print quality (This applies to light garments only – there is an increase of 15 per cent for darker garments).
With a highly compact, flat top design that allows easy installation into smaller spaces, flexibility is further enhanced through Epson’s bundled GarmentCreator2 software, which not only enables the printing of both DTG and DTFilm, but improves the quality of fine lines and small text.
Offering a range of enhanced features designed with ease of use in mind, the SureColor F2260 also allows businesses to maintain high levels of production and quality without the need for specialist operators.
A transparent lid and internal light, for example, enable easy print-status checking, while an intuitive 4.3-inch touchscreen makes operation fast and simple. With automatic carriage height adjustment, the F2260 remains stable with minimal adjustment by the user, and the platen can be easily removed and attached by hand, making adjustment for printing different garments quick and straightforward. The GarmentCreator2 software, features faster data processing well as 600dpi resolution, to deliver exceptional colour output.
“Although the DTG market has become challenging due to DTFilm technology, this development offers new and medium-volume businesses a highly cost-effective and flexible option that delivers outstanding quality and can easily be scaled to meet future needs,” Epson Europe manager of product management, commercial and industrial Heather Kendle said.
With a very low TCO, the F2260 uses new UltraChrome DG2 Ink Pouches instead of cartridges. These 800ml pouches (previously 600ml) mean a lower change frequency, and significantly reduce wastage, in terms of space and weight, compared with ink cartridges. Epson’s DG2 ink also reduces bleed between yellow and black, which is important for applications such as light T-shirts, and maintains colour consistency with DG ink.
Straightforward to set up and start printing, the F2260 is supplied as a complete package, including consumables, warranty, servicing and support.
Epson’s ‘personalisation zone’ at FESPA
Items included in Epson’s ‘personalisation zone’ range from custom-designed t-shirts, photos and canvas applications to bespoke mugs, notebooks, phone cases, magnets, coasters and water bottles.
Elsewhere on the stand, there are surf boards, deck chairs, towels and a colourfully wrapped jet ski; with the stand hosting beautifully made clothes and haute couture with original designs on a range of different fabrics from some of the world’s leading fashion designers.
The variety of products on display demonstrates the many flexible applications of Epson’s extensive digital printer range using the very latest dye sublimation, DTG, signage (embracing UV, eco-solvent and resin) and direct-to-fabric printing technologies.
“FESPA Munich is all about demonstrating how Epson digital printing technology can produce beautiful, bespoke products that enhance our lives,” Kendle said.
“Many small and medium sized businesses are using Epson’s digital printing technology to produce and retail uniquely designed, highly desirable, personalised items, and we are showing many fine examples of these items on our stand.
“We are also demonstrating how on-demand digital direct-to-textile printing technology can combine with recycled materials and more eco-friendly inks, using much less water compared with analogue methods, to produce far more sustainable products.”
Here is a video of the SureColor F2260 in action on the Epson stand at FESPA:
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